The Vortex has hit...

[Van Huskey]

Not me, my wife! We spent an afternoon with a fellow creeker and his wife while I picked up a couple of machines and she fell in love with his lathe (not for sale) and turning. This is not the first time she has mentioned lathes but the first time she actually went on the creek herself and started poking around so it is time for me to develop a plan as she wants one SOON. Her interest lies in bowls at least for now, no pens etc. I do NOT think that lathes have been on the Jet/Powermatic 3000hr sale yet if not then we will probably go that route. Here is what I am thinking:

Jet 12-20 Vs or not?
Sorby 6pc turning set: http://www.woodcraft.com/catalog/pro...x?prodid=20865
Delta GR450 grinder with Norton wheels (which ones?)
Woverine sharpening system

What will she need in terms of chucks, centers etc besides what comes with the lathe?

I guess the basic question is in the $1500 plus or minus arena what do I need to be looking for for a basic setup that will include the ability to do small bowls.

I must say I am concerned about bringing the gravity of the vortex so very close to my flatworking area...

Also what about the Grizzly G0642, seems like a lot for a little, which with Grizzly can be great OR can be a POS.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Van,

The lathe is the cheapest part of getting outfitted for turning as it is the accessories that are the killer.

You can get some fairly good tool sets from PSI....Benjamin's Best brand but they typically don't come with bowl gouges.

You want at least one good quality bowl gouge...either 3/8" or 1/2" .


EDIT...........I just reread your thread. That Sorby set is a good set and it does include a bowl gouge. I have quite a few Sorby tools and they are great. You can get nearly as good quality and pay less.....for example, I found a hardware store 30 miles away that stocks Robert Larson turning tools. They are Sheffield steel tools ....and the handles are applied here in the states. Good tools....slight less money than Sorby....but I do like my Sorby's.

I would get at least a good quality 4 jaw chuck that uses the a single tool to tighten just because it's easier....less complex to operate. It allows on hand on the bowl blank and one on the tool tightening the jaws of the chuck..

Hopefully Bernie Weishapl will jump in. He's seen the new Delta lathe and was pretty impressed by it and yet he has the Jet 1220 IIRC.

You will want to get your wife at least one good HEAVY bowl scraper. I will probably catch come grief from purists but they are invaluable for cleaning up the inside of a bowl. Get the thickest one you can....when it comes to scrapers mass counts! Less vibration.....more contol and cleaner cuts. I use a Sorby inside Extra Heavy Duty bowl scraper. EHD.....3/8" thick....

lathe VS .......a lot of turners don't have it.....but once you have it, you won't want to turn without it.

Get at least a good face shield or....a respirator like the Trend Air Shield or something similar. The face shield to protect the face....the respirator to protect the lungs when sanding.

You can probably start for $1500..but be aware. I was given most of the basic tools including a brand new Jet 1014 VS and a SuperNova II chuck....and after 2 years I had already spent over $3,000 of my own money. The accessories are the killers.

[Christopher K. Hartley]

I rest my case (see my post at what is better than...... )

[Van Huskey]

Get at least a good face shield or....a respirator like the Trend Air Shield or something similar. The face shield to protect the face....the respirator to protect the lungs when sanding.

You can probably start for $1500..but be aware. I was given most of the basic tools including a brand new Jet 1014 VS and a SuperNova II chuck....and after 2 years I had already spent over $3,000 of my own money. The accessories are the killers.

Good point about the Air Sheild et al, she wouldn't be too happy in my face shield and seperate dust mask!

Speaking of chucks would the Oneway Talon be a good choice for a midi lathe?

As for the cost I know how accessories add up, I have $700 or so in chisels and I am an avowed NON-neander! A extra big plus is now I can have the spinning stuff "custom made" for my flatwork and not have to get sucked into the vortex, except maybe to turn the bottom of a cabriole leg or 4.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

The Oneway Talon has a good reptutation. I haven't used one.

I use a SN2. I would get an appropriately sized chuck for the lathe you are buying keeping in mind that the right chuck can be cheaply upgraded should the lathe be changed. I was given a SuperNova2 with my Jet. It was a matter of purchasing a $23 threaded insert.....removing the threaded insert for the Jet from the chuck and screwing in the one that fit my PM3520B.

Bernie Weishapl and others have had pretty good luck with $99 chuck IIRC from Grizzly. The SN2 used to cost in excess of $200....now they run about $129 on sale IIRC.

As far as the face shield goes.....they are necessary. I would go to a store that stocks multiple types of combination respirator face shields and let your wife try them on and determine which one she prefers. I am not a good shopper. I typically know what I want..I know what it costs.....I may wait for it to go on sale....I go in and buy it. I spent over 3 hours trying on different brands of respirator/face shields before I left the store with my Trend Air Shield. Fit and wearer comfortability are very important.

The one thing I like about a combination respirator face shield is it moves enough air across my face that my face doesn't sweat and steam up my glasses in the summer heat.

[James E Gaydos]

Get the Super Nova 2. I have a Talon and it gets gummed up with dust really fast. I also have the SN2 and it is a far better chuck IMHO. The back is closed in and it keeps the dust from getting inside. The SN2 simple put, works better.
Jim

[Alan Zenreich]

I have two Talons. It's a smaller chuck than the SN2... it's the same size as a Nova G3. These are the perfect size for lathes with swings 16" and under.

Though it might not matter to most people, one of the reasons I chose the Talon is that it closes/tightens with a clockwise turn of the wrench. The SN and other chucks from down under tighten in the other direction.

It's nice to know that with quality chucks, the final choice really comes down to little preferences like this. You can't go wrong with any of them.

[Allen Neighbors]

Get the Super Nova 2. I have a Talon and it gets gummed up with dust really fast. I also have the SN2 and it is a far better chuck IMHO. The back is closed in and it keeps the dust from getting inside. The SN2 simple put, works better.
Jim

Plus++++ The Nova jaws are interchangeable between all Nova chucks, except the Titan Powergrip jaws.
The Oneway jaws from one chuck won't interchange with another chuck, I'm told.
I don't know about any of the others.

[Greg Ketell]

Good point about the Air Sheild et al, she wouldn't be too happy in my face shield and seperate dust mask!

Speaking of chucks would the Oneway Talon be a good choice for a midi lathe?

As for the cost I know how accessories add up, I have $700 or so in chisels and I am an avowed NON-neander! A extra big plus is now I can have the spinning stuff "custom made" for my flatwork and not have to get sucked into the vortex, except maybe to turn the bottom of a cabriole leg or 4.

I have the Talon and it is a great chuck. I'm not familiar with the Nova from personal use but friends who have used both prefer the the Talon because it can grip tighter and when turning wet wood, that is important.

Ultimately you will want a couple of chucks. one with big jaws to hold the bowl, one with little jaws to hold spindles/stands. Much easier than changing the jaws several times a day.

As for the Airshield, I own one. But I find that a lot of times I grab my separate mask anyway. The Airshield, while not heavy, causes sore neck after a day of turning or a few hours of sanding (especially interior sanding of bowls). A good quality 1/2 mask with 1/2-micron filters is much easier to wear when you don't need the face shield.

Get her a turning smock, preferably one that is slick so the shavings don't stick (as much). She will appreciate the easier clean up.

Make sure you can adjust the height of the lathe to fit her well. A too short lathe hurts your back. A too tall lathe hurts your shoulders and can cause dangerous snags.

If she really wants to do predominantly bowls, make sure whatever lathe you get can move/rotate the headstock so she doesn't have to lean over the lathe to work on the inside. Especially important while sanding. And rig up a tail-stock swinger to make it easy to get the tail-stock out of her way.

[Joel Albert]

Just in case you hadn't seen this--the 3000 hour sale has now on for Jet and Powermatic Lathes.

Grin--just ordered my 3520B....

Joel

[Bernie Weishapl]

I think you are on the right track. I do have 4 of the Grizzly $99 chucks and the Vicmarc VM100 jaws fit it. I like these chucks enough I am getting one more so I won't have to change any jaws at all. One other note is I would go with the Jet 1220 VS. Belt changing isn't a big deal but once you have VS you won't go back. On the Grizzly G0642 the low end speed at 600 rpm is way to high for out of balance bowl blanks you might put on it. IMHO I would stay away from it. Before I got that one I would look at the Delta 46-460. Have fun and enjoy.

[Dahl Troy Perry]

And don't forget the pair of gloves. To hold. The new chainsaw you will need to cut the bowl blanks. And the new truck to haul the bowl blanks back to the shop. Are you seeing. There is a pattern to the madness .